EP-B-0598979 describes a toggle-handle device for opening the door of an electric household appliance, in this case a refrigerator or freezer, and which, when the door is in the closed position, assists the user in opening the door by exerting thrust on the front edge of the door opening, when the handle is pulled manually, in opposition to first elastic means acting on the handle. This device mainly serves to reduce the effort required of the user to open the door, particularly when adhesion of the door to the front edge of the door opening is increased, for example, by the formation of frost.
The above device has various drawbacks. In particular, it is complex in design, expensive, and relatively bulky, also on account of the presence of second elastic means which act on a rod controlled by rotation of the handle. Moreover, to open the door, the user must pull on the handle, which is not always convenient, especially if the user's hands are full, e.g. with foodstuffs for storage in the refrigerator or freezer. In fact, to activate the opening device, the handle must normally be gripped firmly, which takes at least one hand.